The New England Patriots have their fair share of doubters as they prepare for Super Bowl 60 against the Seattle Seahawks.
The vast majority of NFL experts have picked the Seahawks to win Sunday’s showdown. Most sportsbooks have Seattle pegged as a 4.5-point favorite against a Pats team that defied the odds with a remarkable bounce-back season.
Will the doubters be proven right, or will New England add a seventh Lombardi Trophy to their collection? Our partners at Strat-O-Matic simulated the Super Bowl matchup and got some interesting results…
Here are the highlights from Strat-O-Matic’s Super Bowl 60 simulation:
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Drake Maye outduels Sam Darnold
Neither quarterback lit up the box score in this simulation, but Drake Maye did a better job of taking care of the football than Sam Darnold.
Maye completed 16 of his 27 passes for 166 yards. The second-year signal-caller added nine yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Darnold nearly doubled Maye’s pass attempts, going 27-for-46 with 251 yards and one TD. He tossed three interceptions, though, including two critical mistakes in the fourth quarter.
Rhamondre Stevenson comes up clutch
Stevenson overcame a rough start to the regular season and was outstanding down the stretch. The Patriots running back’s success continued in Strat-O-Matic’s Super Bowl sim.
With Maye taking on more of a game-manager role, Stevenson starred with 89 yards on 17 carries. He broke loose for a 37-yard touchdown run to shift the momentum in New England’s favor early in the third quarter.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs. Christian Gonzalez lives up to the hype
Smith-Njigba vs. Gonzalez is the matchup that could determine the outcome of Super Bowl 60. The most dominant wide receiver of the 2025 NFL season will go up against one of the game’s elite cornerbacks.
For most of the simulated game, JSN had the advantage. He totaled 12 catches for 107 yards, but Gonzalez had the biggest play of all with the game on the line.
Down seven points with 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Darnold threw one deep downfield to Smith-Njigba in a last-ditch effort to tie the game. Gonzalez had other ideas, as he came through with the championship-sealing interception for New England.
Other noteworthy contributors
- Patriots TE Hunter Henry: Five catches, 47 yards
- Patriots WR Stefon Diggs: Three catches, 60 yards
- Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker: Eight carries, 43 yards; three catches, receptions, 38 yards, TD
- Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp: Four catches, 39 yards
Final score: Patriots 20, Seahawks 13
Strat-O-Matic’s simulation predicts a lower-scoring matchup than most expect. It also foresees a nail-biter between the Pats and Seahawks in Santa Clara.
Seattle jumped out to an early lead with a 14-yard Kenneth Walker TD reception in the first quarter. New England answered with a 41-yard Andy Borregales field goal to make it 7-3 heading into the second.
Early in the second quarter, Maye put the Pats ahead with a seven-yard rushing TD. The Seahawks tied it back up at 10 at the half with a 23-yard Jason Myers field goal.
Rhamondre Stevenson had the most explosive play of the night early in the third quarter: a 37-yard TD run to give New Englanda 17-10 lead. Borregales added a 37-yard field goal later in the quarter to make it a two-score game.
The Seahawks cut the deficit back to seven with a 37-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter. They had their chances to tie or win the game down the stretch, but the Patriots’ defense stepped up as it has all postseason. New England picked off Darnold twice in the fourth quarter, including a Gonzalez INT on a deep pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 15 seconds left.
Gonzalez’s pick sealed a 20-13 Patriots victory and an NFL-leading seventh Super Bowl title for New England.
